James Earl Jones, 80, though he's become "the voice" for two recent generations thanks to roles as Darth Vader in the 1970s Star Wars trilogy and as Mufasa in the epic children's masterpiece The Lion King, his work on stage and in film have been revolutionary; he received an Academy Award nomination for 1970's The Great White Hope, and he additionally had roles in Coming to America, Field of Dreams, The Hunt for Red October, Sneakers, The Sandlot, and Cry the Beloved Country; he's won two Tony awards in his career, one for the stage version of The Great White Hope, the other for Fences, and he recently starred with Vanessa Redgrave in Driving Miss Daisy
Jim Carrey, 49, the master of physical comedy in modern cinema, he was one of the biggest box office draws of the '90s thanks to Ace Ventura, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber (unfortunately), and Liar Liar, but it was his second wind in drama that garnered him the most critical praise, namely in The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; though he's never managed an Oscar nod, he's a six-time Golden Globe nominee and a two-time winner
Zooey Deschanel, 31, she recently shot to fame thanks to her part in the quirky romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer, but she's been a long-standing presence in film, television, and folk music; her film work has included roles in Almost Famous, All the Real Girls, Elf, and Yes Man, and her TV roles have included spacey love interest Kat on Weeds and a modern-day Dorothy in Tin Man
Ethel Merman, (1908-1984), the big-voiced chanteuse well-known for her famously boisterous pipes, her work in musical theater (Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy, and Hello Dolly!, to name a few) and in film (Alexander's Ragtime Band, There's No Business Like Show Business, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, and Airplane!) made her one legendary redhead
John Carpenter, 63, best known for the now-classic horror flick Halloween (and for the iconic piano melody he wrote for it), this director of the fright genre was also responsible for such films as Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), The Fog (1980), Escape from New York, The Thing, Christine, and Starman; though his films since the '90s have been underwhelming, his legacy stands
Naveen Andrews, 42, he blew up in Hollywood as part of the cast of Lost - he plays oft-group leader Sayid - though he'd had some major film roles prior to the show, including parts in The English Patient, Mighty Joe Young, and Bride and Prejudice
Denis O'Hare, 49, oft-used TV character actor whose recent role as vampire king Russell Edgington in HBO's True Blood proved memorable, his other credits include multiple characters on Law & Order and recurring roles on Brothers & Sisters and The Good Wife; additionally, he had supporting roles in Garden State, Half Nelson, Michael Clayton, Baby Mama, and The Proposal
Mason Gamble, 25, though he hit it big as a kid star in the 1993 big-screen adaptation of Dennis the Menace, he's since been largely missing from movies, excepting roles in Gattaca, Arlington Road, and Rushmore
Shari Lewis, (1933-1998), Emmy-winning puppeteer and long-time children's television figure, she popularized her characters of Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, and Hush Puppy on The Shari Lewis Show and Lamb Chop's Play-Along
Jason Segel, 31, after being anointed part of the Apatow gang, starring alongside Seth Rogen and James Franco in the short-lived series Freaks and Geeks, he went on to work with Judd Apatow on the series Undeclared and the films Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall; his main gig currently, though, is as Duluth-native Marshall Erickson in CBS's How I Met Your Mother and as the man behind the upcoming Muppets movie
Danny Kaye, (1913-1987), popular comedic actor of the '40s and '50s, he garnered five Golden Globe nominations in his career and popularized his roles in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Hans Christian Andersen, White Christmas, and The Court Jester; his final role was on an episode of The Cosby Show, for which he received an Emmy nod
Jesse L. Martin, 42, this one-time stage actor who originated the role of Tom Collins in the uber-hit musical Rent has since moved on to primarily television work, most notably as Dr. Greg Butters in Ally McBeal, Detective Ed Green on Law & Order, and Philip on the short-lived The Philanthropist
Alison Arngrim, 49, one-time child star whose role as the conniving Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie made her a legendary television villain; since she's done most stand-up comedy, charity work, and recently wrote a bestselling memoir entitled Prairie Bitch
Maulik Pancholy, 37, age-defying character actor whose recent stints as Sanjay on Weeds and Jonathon on 30 Rock have gained him attention; he also had parts in Hitch and 27 Dresses and voices a regular role on the Disney Channel series Phineas and Ferb
Jane Horrocks, 47, British character actress whose role in the eccentric comedy Little Voice garnered her a Golden Globe nod, she's additionally appeared or voice parts in a variety of children's films including The Witches, Chicken Run, and Corpse Bride
Jean Stapleton, 88, she's most well-known for her long-running and critically beloved role as Edith Bunker in All in the Family, she's won three Emmys and two Golden Globes and remains a television icon; her other work includes the TV movie Eleanor, First Lady of the World, the romantic comedy You've Got Mail, and the All in the Family spinoff Archie Bunker's Place
Tippi Hedren, 81, famously became one of Alfred Hitchcock's blonde muses, starring in The Birds and Marnie back to back, her work since has included countless supporting roles in film and television, including Citizen Ruth and I Heart Huckabees, and giving birth to fellow actress Melanie Griffith
Dolly Parton, 65, arguably the queen of country music, she's been responsible for 25 number-one singles and 41 top-1o country albums in her decades-long career; and though her lasting legacy may be that infamous theme park in Tennessee, she also had an acting career for a time, appearing in Steel Magnolias, Nine to Five, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Katey Sagal, 57, she co-starred with Ed O'Neill in the long-running series Married With Children as nagging wife (and four-time Golden Globe nominated performance) Peg Bundy; she's since worked plenty in television, voicing characters in Recess and Futurama and having regular roles in 8 Simple Roles, Boston Legal, Lost, and recent Globe winner Sons of Anarchy
Drea de Matteo, 39, her Emmy-winning role in the HBO series The Sopranos launched her acting career, and she's since had detours on Sons of Anarchy and Joey before settling into a season-long stint on Desperate Housewives
1 comment:
How appropriate that Anne's casting was announced on Eartha's birthday.
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